Most technology workers had insufficient skills in at least one digital capacity required for their role, according to an ACS survey. Image: Shutterstock
The closing of digital skills gaps could create an economic increase of $ 25 billion for Australia according to the 11th Digital Pulse of Australia Report, published Wednesday by Australian Computer Society (ACS) – The Professional Association of Country Technology Professionals and the publisher of Information era.
A survey commissioned for the report and carried out by the consulting firm Deloitte revealed that 77% of the nearly 800 technological workers who were interviewed thought they had insufficient skills in at least one digital capacity required for their role.
The most widespread deficiencies among technology workers have proven to be in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, automation of robotics and augmented and virtual reality.
A little more than half (51%) of the more than 400 workers interviewed in other industries have cited insufficient capacity in at least one digital competence necessary in their work – mainly in the use of AI to analyze data and write content, cybersecurity and digital dashboards.
A separate survey of more than 300 Australian C-Suite managers of various industries revealed that 15% knew shortages of digital skills in their business, which suggests that around 150,000 Australian companies could be confronted with similar problems, ACS said.
The repair of these gaps could improve the productivity of Australia with an economic increase of $ 25 billion by 2035, according to ACS analysis, in particular by helping to mitigate the costs of cyberattacks.
Image: Pulse Digital 2025 in Australia
The CEO of ACS, Josh Griggs, said that Australia had to ensure that each worker had “the ability to work with and direct digital transformation” so that the country could compete worldwide.
“If we conclude these shortcomings, Australia means unlocking billions of people in economic growth, improving cyber-resilience and positioning themselves as a leader in global technology,” he said.
“Our plan is not only to solve today's problems – it's about creating a nation ready for the future.”
Australia fell from 13th to 18th place in the last classification of global competitiveness, published in June by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) – after the 19th and 2018 average.
The edifying digital skills of graduates at CEOs
Among 10 recommendations made in the last Digital impulse Report, ACS has argued that C-Suite managers should carry out a “healthcare health check”, after its survey revealed that almost half (45%) of the 310 managers who responded had only “basic” capacities in one of the five digital skills required for their role.
“Health control would include understanding their own digital capacities to help identify all dead angles, digital capacities and gaps within their team and how the use of digital technologies is part of their current commercial strategy,” said ACS.
“Construction of the health assessment in planning would also strengthen the future organization of the organization, technological governance and security.”
ACS says that C-Suite managers should make a “digital skills health check” to help identify the dead angles. Image: Shutterstock
ACS has reiterated its calls for government to accelerate the national skills taxonomy developed by Jobs and Skills Australia and align it with executives such as the global skills framework for the information era (SFIA), in order to minimize gaps between workers' skills and available jobs.
The company has also called on the government to implement a “winning you learn” plan to encourage more workers in the middle of your career in Reskill and to improve technology.
2024 Digital Pulse of Australia suggested report One million workers could be rescued for jobs in technologywhich required more people with the right skills in fields such as AI and cybersecurity.
Workers had already started to meet the growing requirements of digital skills in the economy, ACS said in its new report, with 96% of workers in the technology interviewed and 70% of other workers who have undergone training to maintain or improve their digital skills in the past year.
“The achievement of the advantage of $ 25 billion requires contacting digital skills through the Australian economy, entry-level roles to C-Suite managers,” said the report.
“The succession of this challenge will force us to think differently about the ways we use to find technological talents and how we increase all workers in the economy.”
Vocational training vs university degree
C-Suite managers considered training and vocational training qualifications (VET) and industry certificates as more useful indicators of technological workers than university degrees, according to the survey.
While 41% of the managers interviewed said that the qualifications of relevant veterinarians and industry certificates were effective indicators of probable performance, only 34% said the same for university degrees.
Despite their preference for industry certifications and EFP qualifications, 88% of the managers interviewed said their business demanded that workers in technological roles have a university diploma.
This inadequacy “probably prevented companies from accessing the talents they need,” said ACS, which urged federal, state and territories governments to push businesses to allow more entry -level hiring to come from alternative and non -university paths.
The unaccompanied tapping program of the federal government, introduced in 2025, probably contributed to a registered increase in IT VAT prices that year, said ACS.
The 10 recommendations of the company also urged the government to develop formal strategies in sovereign AI and innovation, while investing in local companies and providing greater incentives to improve Australia's research and development environment (R&D).
The 2025 edition of Digital Pulse of Australia can be downloaded of the ACS website.